Living and gardening in an older Hudson Valley home
This may look like any other tree decorated with Christmas lights, but it represents much more. A few months ago, my neighbor approached me about decorating a 4o foot Canadian Hemlock tree in my yard with Christmas lights. She would buy the lights and have them installed, if she could use my tree. I immediately […]
Autumn has been spectacular in New York this year. Contrary to the opinion of many people who speculated the summer drought would leave the trees brown, they have instead displayed a rich palette of yellow, orange and red. The views, framed in the windows looking out of my home, are like impressionist paintings of vibrant […]
Names are arbitrary and this is certainly true for the names we use to describe areas in our yard. With so many different areas it is helpful to have distinct names so that Andrew and I can more easily discuss them. Naming each area provides us with an ability to be creative and in some […]
Welcome to No. 1 Old Oak Tree Path. The woodland garden is home to an elf, sometimes many elves. The elf’s name is Dobby. Fans of Harry Potter may recognize the name of the character from J. K.Rowling’s novels, where he was a house elf. A few years ago, my lovely goddaughter, Amy, and her […]
Last year, I had my old garage doors replaced. They were wooden and had seen better days. A ground hog had decided to visit one evening and thought it would be a comfortable place for an overnight stay. Unfortunately, his check out time did not coincide with when I would next be opening the garage […]
In 1969 the number of people in the United States living below the poverty line was 24 million people or 12.2% of the population. I was 10 years old, and definitely counted in this 24 million. Being poor is relative. We knew we were poor, but we still enjoyed life. I usually write about entertaining […]
When a local non-profit canceled their fund-raising event in support of an annual summer festival, Newburgh Illuminated, I had a conversation with some neighbors and friends about having our own get-together. The original event was planned as black-tie, with a Copacabana theme. I retained the black-tie format but dropped the Copacabana theme. It’s not every […]
The most strenuous and difficult projects are often the most rewarding. I know this, but I still agonize over them. I wonder – what if I can’t complete the task or what if it doesn’t turn out the way I expected. Rarely am I satisfied with my work, so the later concern is always topmost […]
The soothsayer in William Shakespeare’s Julius Ceasar ominously warns, “beware the Ides of March.” For me the saying should be, “beware the winds of March.” As long as I can remember, March is always a windy month. This past Monday, March 7, we had a terrific windstorm. I wasn’t home, so I missed the storm. […]
Winter is for indoor projects. After cleaning, painting and papering most of the house, there was still one room untouched. The original house plans show an unfinished room over the garage. At some point this room was finished with a connecting door to the nursery, making it ostensibly a bedroom for an au pair. It […]
